This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
State economic development officials approved $1.1 million in financial incentives Thursday to two companies that expect to add 135 to 200 jobs to Utah's economy in the next few years.
Wilson Electronics received a post-performance tax credit of $266,312 from the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) board to expand its plant in Washington County, adding 75 to 150 jobs in the next five years. That credit represents 15 percent of the net taxes Wilson is projected to pay in that time.
The company designs and manufactures amplifiers, antennas and related components that improve cell phone communications and delivery of cellular data.
Wilson plans to spend $2.7 million in a facility expansion and the hiring of the additional workers, whose average wage is put at 125 percent of the Washington County mean, said GOED spokesman Michael Sullivan.
The new positions are expected to generate $22.4 million in wages and $1.7 million in state taxes, prompting GOED Executive Director Spencer Eccles to praise Wilson "for the success it has achieved and to offer our support as it continues to grow."
GOED's second incentive, a post-performance tax credit of up to $871,000, will go to Pactiv, LLC to establish a new facility in Salt Lake City for the manufacture and distribution of food package and food-service products.
Based in Lake Forest, Ill., Pactiv has 11,000 employees at more than 100 plants in seven countries, producing plastic, paper and aluminum food-packaging products.
Sullivan said the company plans to invest $52 million in manufacturing facilities and warehouses that will serve its client list of foodservice retailers, food processors, food packers, supermarkets and restaurants retailers.
A specific site for the facility was not disclosed, but the 60 jobs will pay 125 percent of the Salt Lake County mean wage. New state wages are projected at $28.8 million over the 10-year life of the agreement. The state also should take in about $5.8 million in new state taxes.
"Utah's manufacturing sector is an essential part of the state's economy and includes everything from aerospace to nutritional foods manufacturing," Eccles said. "This sector continues to grow because internationally respected companies like Pactiv see the business friendly environment Utah has to offer."
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